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THE AUTOMOBILE 2.0: CHEVROLET BOLT EV VS NISSAN LEAF VS TESLA MODEL 3 LONG RANGE
The first comparison test of the practical electric car

Can I see a show of hands for all of the Tesla Model 3 reservation holders out there? Now drop your hand if you’re put off when I tell you that the one Motor Trend tested is a big-battery ($9,000), “premium features” ($5,000) Long Range version that stickers for $60,500. Mostly shrugged shoulders? You know how Tesla rolls, then. Although the base price on the window sticker in fact reads “$36,000,” we get the loaded version to test. Just like any premium automaker, the high-profit versions get delivered first.

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Now how about everybody who is serious about plunging into a long-range electric car but doesn’t have the stomach for Tesla’s financial roller coaster? Quite a few. That means you’re picking between two other recent entrants: the 238-mile Chevrolet Bolt EV (last year’s Motor Trend Car of the Year) or the redesigned, 150-mile Nissan Leaf—both of which we’re comparing here to the Model 3. By the way, any of you buying the Chevy or Nissan with profit you made off of Tesla stock? Just kidding. Sort of.

I’ve been covering electric cars for so long that I once pushed a stone-dead General Motors EV1 down a street. There have been plenty of “firsts” in this rapidly evolving segment. But this exclusive comparison—the Model 3, the second-gen Leaf, and the Bolt—matters because it’s a milestone. This is the first time anyone has tested and compared three electric vehicles that really could be your affordable, everyday, one-and-only car. With ranges of 150 to 310 miles and stripper-version base prices from $37,495 to $36,000 before federal and local incentives, they’re full-fledged, meat-of-the-market automobiles. And Tesla’s global Supercharger network is 7,320 (and counting) nails in the coffin of the argument that an EV can’t replace your gas-gulping jalopy as your road trip car of choice.

To help with evaluating our exclusive gathering, we brought in some veteran co-conspirators of all things electric. Patrick Hong has a 23-career testing cars (including that same GM EV1) and carries degrees in both mechanical and aerospace engineering. Alec Brooks is a seminal figure in the history of the modern electric car, having led the development of the GM Impact, predecessor of the EV1, and run the development of the of the tzero electric sports car, which was the inspiration for Tesla’s Roadster.



Having batteries slabbed beneath the floor might be great for lowering the cars’ center of gravity for handling purposes, but it pinches headroom. No big deal for the Bolt and Leaf silhouettes, which are as draggy as coral reefs anyway (Cd’s of 0.31 and 0.28, respectively). They just go taller. As such, Hong found the Bolt’s back seats to be roomy with a stadium-seating configuration.

But the Model 3’s lower, sloping profile is reaching for slicker aerodynamics (0.23) resulting in some unusual consequences in back: a roof crossmember forward of the rear passenger’s heads allows for a headroom-maximizing thin sheath of glass directly above their noggins. Simultaneously, their knees are noticeably raised due to the smallish difference between foot and hip heights. Still, it’s worth noting that on paper, at least, the Model 3’s traditional SAE rear dimensions are quite similar to those of the BMW 330i.

The thing is, Tesla’s compromised back seat gives the direct payoff of less drag, leading to more efficient battery use. Despite being 400 pounds heavier than the Leaf and 350 more than the Bolt, the Model 3’s combined mpg-e is 6 percent higher than the Chevrolet and 13 percent better than the Leaf.

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